LABOR Secretary Silvestre Bello III said on Tuesday, January 18, 2022, that unvaccinated or partially vaccinated workers are exempted from the “no vaccination, no ride/entry” policy on all public utility vehicles (PUVs).

The “no vaccination, no ride/entry” policy has already been implemented in the National Capital Region (NCR) amid the spike of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in the country.

Bello said they are currently in coordination with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) following reports from the ground that several workers were denied from riding or entering PUVs in the Metro amid the implementation of the policy starting Monday, January 17.

He said the economy will be badly affected if unvaccinated or partially vaccinated workers would not be able to go to work.

“Exempted ang mga workers natin because they are rendering essential services. Pag hininto mo mga yan, paano gagalaw ang mga negosyo at pag walang negosyo walang ekonomiya,” said Bello in a Palace press briefing.

He said a worker’s company identification should be enough in order to avail themselves of the exemptions.

Bello said the purpose of the “no vaccination, no ride/entry policy,” which is to prevent the further spread of Covid-19, will not be defeated, considering that there is a policy requiring unvaccinated workers to undergo testing every two weeks in order for them to be allowed to report to their workplaces.

Meanwhile, Bello said around 11,500 workers in Metro Manila were displaced after the region was placed under Alert Level 3 since the first week of January due to the increase in cases. (SunStar Philippines)